Methods and devices for providing alerts for spoilage and hazardous combinations

ABSTRACT

The present invention includes methods and devices for providing safeguards to the access of certain substances. Some implementations provide alerts and/or other appropriate actions when substances are subject to spoilage or expiration. Some implementations provide responses to potentially dangerous combinations of substances. Other aspects of the invention involve determining the allergies of a user and providing a warning when allergens are, or recently have been, present. One preferred embodiment provides a smart medicine cabinet for helping to provide medication safely to a patient and to provide other related services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to radio frequency identification (“RFID”)technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to networksthat include RFID devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are many products in commerce that can spoil and/or that arepotentially dangerous. It is well known, for example, that certain foodproducts can cause illness when consumed after their expiration date.Many products, such as batteries and medicines, lose their effectivenessafter a certain period of time.

Some products are unhealthy only for certain individuals, because ofallergies that these individuals have. For example, certain fibers andchemicals can cause some individuals to break out in a rash or causerespiratory problems. Food allergies can cause reactions that range frommild discomfort to a gruesome death.

Moreover, some products become dangerous when combined with otherproducts. For example, if ammonia and bleach are combined, the resultingchemical reaction will cause toxic chlorine gas to be released. It isnot uncommon for certain types of medication, which have no significantside effects when taken alone, to cause serious illness or death whentaken in combination with other medicines. This may happen, for example,when a person has changed doctors or is seeing more than one doctor fordifferent ailments.

Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide methods and devices thatcan detect and respond to spoilage and/or dangerous combinations ofproducts. It would be particularly helpful if such methods and devicescould take into account the allergies or other sensitivities ofindividual consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes methods and devices for providingsafeguards to the access of certain substances. Some implementationsprovide alerts and/or other appropriate actions when substances aresubject to spoilage or expiration. Some implementations provideresponses to potentially dangerous combinations of substances. Otheraspects of the invention involve determining the allergies of a user andproviding a warning when allergens are, or recently have been, present.One preferred embodiment provides a smart medicine cabinet for helpingto provide medication safely to a patient and to provide other relatedservices.

Some aspects of the invention involve a method of providing products.The method includes the following steps: reading radio frequencyidentification (“RFID”) tag data for each of a plurality of products ina storage area; automatically obtaining product information according tothe RFID tag data; automatically evaluating the product information; andautomatically providing product advice according to the productinformation.

The product advice may include product freshness information and/oradvice that combining products in the storage area would be dangerous.The product freshness information may include a notification regardingthe expiration date of a product and/or a notification regarding whichproduct of a product type should be used first.

The method may include the step of automatically obtaining allergyinformation from a user and the product advice may include allergenadvice, such as identifying a product to which the user is allergic.

Some embodiments of the invention involve an apparatus for providingproducts. The apparatus includes the following elements: a storage area;an RFID reader configured for reading RFID tag data for products storedin the storage area; a mechanism for obtaining and evaluating productinformation according to the RFID tag data; and at least one device forproviding product advice according to the product information.

Alternative embodiments of the invention provide a smart medicinecabinet that includes the following elements: a storage area; an RFIDreader configured for reading RFID tag data for medicine stored in thestorage area; a user interface configured for communication with a user;a network interface configured for communication with a network; a door;and a controller configured to obtain medical information based on theRFID tag data received from the RFID reader and to control the smartmedicine cabinet according to the medical information.

The controller may be further configured to obtain the medicalinformation by searching a networked medical database via the networkinterface. The smart medicine cabinet may include a storage device withmedical data stored therein. If so, the controller may be furtherconfigured to obtain the medical information by searching the medicaldata in the storage device.

The controller may be further configured to control the smart medicinecabinet according to information received via the user interface. Forexample, the controller may be configured to control the door accordingto information received via the user interface.

Alternative aspects of the invention include a method for providingmedical services. The method includes the following steps: reading RFIDtag data for each of a plurality of medicines in a medicine cabinet;automatically obtaining medical information according to the RFID tagdata; evaluating the medical information; and providing a responseaccording to the medical information. The step of obtaining medicalinformation may involve searching a medical database.

The response may involve alerting a user regarding an expiration date ofmedicine in the medicine cabinet, providing replacement medicine and/orproviding a warning that a combination of medicine in the medicinecabinet could be dangerous. The response may also involve preventing auser from opening the medicine cabinet and/or communicating with a uservia a user interface of the medicine cabinet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an RFID tag.

FIG. 2 is a network diagram illustrating one implementation of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2A illustrates one embodiment of a smart medical cabinet of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart that outlines one method of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart that outlines another method of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4A is a flow chart that outlines still another method of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates one embodiment of an RFIDreader and a controller for a smart medical cabinet or similar deviceaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary RFID reader that may beconfigured to perform some methods of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a network device that may be configuredto implement some methods of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this application, numerous specific details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will beobvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present inventionmay be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In otherinstances, well known process steps have not been described in detail inorder not to obscure the present invention.

The present invention includes methods and devices for providinginformation about and/or controlling access to certain substances. Forexample, some implementations provide alerts and/or other appropriateactions when substances are nearing or past an expiration date. Someimplementations provide responses to potentially dangerous combinationsof substances. Other aspects of the invention involve determining theallergies of a user and providing a warning when allergens are, orrecently have been, present.

Although much of the description herein pertains to “smart medicinecabinet” implementations, the invention is not limited to suchimplementations but instead is generally applicable to varioussubstances that may spoil, that have an expiration date beyond whichthey are not useful, that may cause an allergic reaction and/or that aredangerous when combined.

Many implementations of the present invention are based upon “smartlabels,” generally implemented by radio frequency identification(“RFID”) tags. RFID tags have been used to keep track of items such asairline baggage, items of clothing in a retail environment, cows andhighway tolls. As shown in FIG. 1, an RFID tag 100 includesmicroprocessor 105 and antenna 110. In this example, RFID tag 100 ispowered by a magnetic field 145 generated by an RFID reader 125. Thetag's antenna 110 picks up the magnetic signal 145. RFID tag 100modulates the signal 145 according to information coded in the tag andtransmits the modulated signal 155 to the RFID reader 125.

RFID tags use the Electronic Product Code (“EPC” or “ePC”) format forencoding information. An EPC code includes a variable number of bits ofinformation (common formats are 64, 96 and 128 bits), which allows foridentification of individual products as well as associated information.As shown in FIG. 1, EPC 120 includes header 130, EPC Manager field 140,Object class field 150 and serial number field 160. EPC Manager field140 contains manufacturer information. Object class field 150 includes aproduct's stock-keeping unit (“SKU”) number. Serial number field 160 isnormally a 40-bit field that can uniquely identify the specific instanceof an individual product i.e., not just a make or model, but also downto a specific “serial number” of a make and model.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/010,089, filed Dec. 9, 2004 andentitled “Methods and Devices for Providing Scalable RFID Networks” andU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/866,285, filed Jun. 9, 2004 andentitled “Methods and Devices for Assigning RFID Device Personality”(collectively, the “RFID Network Applications”) contain relevant subjectmatter and are hereby incorporated by reference.

For example, the RFID Network Applications describe how read/write RFIDtags can capture information regarding the history of products or groupsof products, e.g., temperature and other environmental changes,stresses, accelerations and/or vibrations that have acted upon theproduct. It is particularly useful to record such information forproducts that are relatively more subject to spoilage or other damage,such as perishable foods and fragile items.

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a smart medicine cabinet (“SMC”) andrelated devices according to the present invention. SMC system 200includes SMC 205, which in this example is connected for communicationwith network 270 via controller 225. Although network 270 may be anyappropriate sort of network, in this example network 270 is theInternet.

Medicine bottles 230, 240, 250 and 260 bear RFID tags 235, 245, 255 and265, respectively. RFID tags 235, 245, 255 and 265 indicate the type ofmedicine in medicine bottles 230, 240, 250 and 260. RFID reader 210 canidentify the presence of medicine bottles 230, 240, 250 and 260 byreading RFID tags 235, 245, 255 and 265.

Accordingly, an inventory of the medicine bottles can be taken inaccordance with the “reads” by RFID reader 210 of the contents of SMC205. Data related to such an inventory (also referred to herein as “SMCinventory data”) may be stored locally, e.g. in a memory of RFID reader210 and/or controller 225. Alternatively, or additionally, SMC inventorydata may be stored remotely, e.g. in a database of a service provider280, of a medical facility 285 and/or of another third party such as afriend, relative, another emergency and/or medical service provider,etc.

Controller 225 controls, and receives RFID data from, RFID reader 210.Controller 225 also controls lock 222 and receives signals from sensor220 indicating whether door 215 is open or closed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, controller 225 also controlsuser interface 290, which is mounted an exterior side of door 215 thatis not visible in FIG. 2. This embodiment of user interface 290 includesdisplay 292, which may be a light emitting diode display, a plasmadisplay or any other suitable display. In this example, keypad 294allows a user to enter a code which will cause controller 225 to openlock 222 and allow access to SMC 205.

This embodiment of user interface 290 also includes scanner 295, whichprovides alternative methods for allowing access to SMC 205. In somesuch embodiments, scanner 295 is a biometric scanner for obtainingbiometric identification data, such as fingerprint data or retinal data,from a user. In alternative embodiments of user interface 290, scanner295 is an RFID scanner or a bar code scanner that can read informationfrom a card, a bracelet or similar device. The device may containencoded information indicating, for example, the identity of the bearerand allergies to food and/or medication. Data obtained from scanner 295and/or keypad 294 may be compared with data stored in a memoryaccessible to controller 225 in order to determine whether to unlock SMC205.

As described in more detail below, in some preferred embodiments, a user(sometimes referred to herein as a “patient,” although the user may notalways be a patient) may be prevented from opening door 215 undercertain conditions, some of which are linked to an inventory ofmedicines according to reads of RFID reader 210. The SMC inventory datapreferably includes information about allergies and/or sensitivity tomedications that a particular patient may have.

In this example, user interface 290 also includes emergency button 296,which will allow a user to access SMC 205 without entering a code orhaving, e.g., an RFID card available. In some embodiments, SMC 205 willopen immediately when emergency button 296 is pressed; such embodimentsare appropriate, for example, for patients with certain types oflife-threatening conditions. Preferably, emergency button 296 operatesmechanically and will not be disabled in the event of a power outage,loss of connection with network 270, etc.

In alternative embodiments, some level of third party intervention isrequired to open SMC 205 even after emergency button 296 is pressed. Forexample, pressing emergency button 296 may cause a communication with athird party such as an attendant of a hospice or other facility, atelephone operator, a dispatcher, a guardian, relative, friend, etc. Thecommunication may be made, e.g., across network 270 via microphone 297and speaker 298. Such embodiments may be particularly desirable when themedicines stored within SMC 205 are narcotics or popular recreationaldrugs.

As described below, the expiration dates of the medicines should beobtainable by reference to RFID tags 235, 245, 255 and 265. If not, theexpiration dates may be determined (e.g., by reference to medicaldatabase 275 and the date that each medicine was prepared) andassociated with each of medicine bottles 230, 240, 250 and 260 in theSMC inventory data.

Method 300 is outlined in the flow chart of FIG. 3. In step 301, RFIDreader 210 reads the RFID tags of medicine in SMC 205. RFID reader 210may read at predetermined times and/or in response to predeterminedevents, such as the opening of door 215, a user's indicated desire toopen door 215 (e.g., by entering a code, pressing a button, etc.)

In step 305, the medicines in SMC 205 are evaluated. The EPC codes onthe medicine bottles that were read in step 301 will indicate the serveror servers that “own” the EPC codes. Accordingly, in one implementationof step 305, the server(s) can be queried to determine, for example, thetype of medicine, when and where the medicine was sold, the number ofpills and dosage of each pill (for medication in pill form), theexpiration date and other pertinent information.

In step 310 it is determined (in this example, by controller 225)whether there is any known condition, such as an expiration of amedicine or a dangerous combination of medicines. In preferredimplementations of the invention, the evaluation of step 310 involves adetermination of whether medicine has expired and whether certaincombinations of medicines could be harmful.

Some implementations of the invention determine whether certaincombinations of medicines could be harmful by searching medical database275 and/or a local database that is, for example, stored in a memory ofcontroller 225. The searches are preferably initiated automatically,e.g., upon the detection of a new medicine in SMC 205. However, it ispreferred that a trained medical service provider evaluates the searchesto determine the likelihood and/or severity of any combination of drugsin SMC 205. After this information is obtained, the SMC inventory datashould be updated to reflect any possible adverse combinations or toindicate that none have been determined.

Depending on the type of evaluation and the particular implementation ofthe invention, steps 305 and/or 310 may or may not directly follow thestep of reading the RFID tags. For example, steps 305 and/or 310 may betaken at predetermined time intervals (e.g., of known times when apatient may require medicine or of a predetermined time since a lastaccess of SMC 205), in response to an expiration date that has beenpreviously determined, in response to a new type of medication that hasbeen placed in SMC 205, etc. Alternatively, or additionally, steps 305and 310 may be taken in response to an indication that a user isattempting to access SMC 205 (step 303).

If it is determined in step 310 there is any known adverse condition,such as an expiration of a medicine or a dangerous combination ofmedicines, an alert is made and other appropriate action may be taken instep 325. The type of alert and level of action taken is preferablycommensurate with the level of potential harm that is determined, themental and physical health of the patient and/or other relevant factors.Some aspects of the invention cause the patient and one or more thirdparties, such as a dispatcher, a medical service provider, hospiceattendant, friend, relative or the like to be notified if a dangerouscombination of medicines is detected.

In some implementations, a warning appears on one or more features ofuser interface 290 when a dangerous condition and/or expired medicationhas been detected in step 310. For example, display 292 and/or speaker298 may issue a warning in the form of an alarm, a written or spokenmessage, etc. The message could be a reproduction of a prerecordedmessage, such as “[TYPE OF MEDICINE] HAS EXPIRED” or “DANGEROUSCOMBINATION OF MEDICINE DETECTED. CALL [TELEPHONE NUMBER] FOR DETAILS.”The message may reflect a service provided by a third party, e.g.,“[TYPE OF MEDICINE] HAS EXPIRED. A NEW PRESCRIPTION IS WAITING FOR YOUAT [PHARMACY].” Some such implementations cause new medication to bedelivered to the patient before an old medication has expired.

In some implementations, the action taken in step 325 will involve acommunication from (or with) a third party, e.g., delivered from a thirdparty over network 270 via voice over IP (“VoIP”). In some suchimplementations, controller 225 may not allow door 215 to open unless,for example, a third party has responded and has authorized the door toopen. For example, a medical care provider may authorize the door toopen by signaling controller 225 via network 270 after speaking with thepatient and describing the condition that caused the alert, e.g., thedangerous combination of medicines. The third party may require acertain action by the patient (e.g., of pressing a particular key orseries of keys on keypad 294, making a verbal acknowledgment viamicrophone 297, etc.) before allowing door 215 to be unlocked.

If no condition is detected in step 310 that requires a response, accessto SMC 205 may be permitted, if desired, in step 315. In this example,access may be permitted in some circumstances after step 325; thispossibility is indicated by the dashed arrow from step 325 to step 315.

When SMC door 215 is opened, sensor 220 indicates the “door open”condition to controller 225 and a timer preferably starts to run. If anew medication is detected by RFID reader 210, the process returns tostep 305, wherein the new medicine is evaluated.

In step 320, it is determined whether door 215 is closed within apredetermined period of time. If not, an appropriate alert is made instep 325 according to the type of medicine in SMC 205, the condition ofthe patient, etc. The process ends in step 330.

Some implementations of the invention also involve detection of whichmedication is removed from SMC 205 and/or of which medication shouldhave been removed from SMC 205. For example, it may be known that apatient is supposed to receive a particular type of medicine at aparticular time intervals (e.g., approximately every 8 hours). Thisinformation could be stored locally (e.g., in a memory of controller225) or in a remote location and accessed via network 270.

It may be inferred that if a patient removes the medication from SMC 205at or near the appropriate time interval, the patient is taking themedication when needed. Conversely, if a patient has not removed themedication from SMC 205 at or near the appropriate time interval, it maybe inferred that the patient is not taking the medication when needed.Accordingly, detection of which medication is removed from SMC 205 incombination with a reference to stored dosage information allows adetermination (or at least a strong inference) of whether a patient istaking medication when needed.

Referring to FIG. 4, in step 401 the door of an SMC is opened and instep 403 a particular medicine is removed from the SMC. In step 405, thetime interval from the last removal of the medicine from the SMC isdetermined and logged. In step 410, it is determined whether it is theproper time for the patient to be taking this medication. Preferably, areasonable time window for the “proper time” is established (e.g., plusor minus one hour) according to the type of drug and other factors.

If it is not the proper time for the patient to take the medicine, thepatient and/or one or more third parties will be notified, asappropriate, in step 415. If too much or too little time has elapsed,the patient could, for example, be provided with a warning (via speaker298 or otherwise) of the possible adverse consequences of the delay orof taking the medicine too soon.

In some such implementations of the invention, a determination that thepatient has not taken medication at the proper time interval can triggernot only an alert to the patient and/or third parties, but also anevaluation of the consequences of not taking the medication at theproper time interval and the recommendation of possible follow-upaction, such as medical testing. For example, if a patient has not takena blood-thinning agent for a period of time, controller 225, anotherdevice in communication with SMC 205 or a service provider may make arecommendation that the patient have an angiogram and/or schedule anappointment with a doctor or testing laboratory.

Step 420 is illustrative of some related implementations of theinvention. In this example, controller 225 determines whether there isanother prescription of the selected medication that should be usedbefore the one removed from the smart medical cabinet. If anothermedication of the same type has an earlier expiration date, the patientwill be notified in step 425. However, this feature has broad utility.As set forth elsewhere herein, this is but one example of a broadapplication of the invention that is directed towards notifying a userwhen another instance of a selected product should be used before theone selected because it has an earlier expiration date. The sameprinciple may be applied to any perishable good used in commerce, at theproduction, transportation, wholesale and retail levels of the supplychain.

In step 430, it is determined whether the selected medication has beenreturned to the smart medical cabinet within a predetermined time. Ifnot, this is could be an indication that the patient is eitherforgetting the proper use of the smart medical cabinet and/or that thepatient is having some type of medical problem. This condition willcause a notification to the patient and/or to a third party. In one suchexample, the patient may be contacted via a pager, cellular telephone,or the like via network 270.

As in the previously-described implementations, it is advantageous todetermine whether a new medication has been placed in the medicinecabinet (step 440) and if so, to evaluate the new medicine (step 445).In step 450, the process ends.

As noted elsewhere herein, the invention is not limited to “smartmedical cabinet” implementations. The invention is generally applicableto various substances that may spoil, that have an expiration datebeyond which they are not useful, that may cause an allergic reactionand/or that are dangerous when combined.

For example, the invention is generally applicable to indications thatfood may have spoiled and to providing alerts to this effect and/orproviding lockouts of stored food. The invention may be applied at anylevel of the production and distribution chain.

Some such embodiments of the invention provide various types of “smartstorage units” (e.g., refrigerators) that can be implemented for eitherresidential or commercial use. The “storage units” may be very large(e.g., on the scale of one or more warehouses) or quite small (e.g., onthe scale of a residential pantry or refrigerator).

The flow chart of FIG. 4A provides an overview of method 460 accordingto some such implementations of the invention. In step 461, the RFIDtags of articles in the storage unit are read and related data obtained,e.g., as described above. RFID tag data allow an identification of thecomponents of each article.

In step 465, an evaluation is made of a person seeking access to thestorage unit. Users of the smart storage unit can identify themselvesvia a code, biometric information, etc., e.g. as described above withreference to scanner 295. Such a scanner or similar device can readinformation from a card, a bracelet, or a similar device that containsencoded information indicating, for example, the identity of the bearerand/or any know food allergies. Accordingly, some “smart storage unit”implementations involve the evaluation of a person's allergyinformation.

For example, such information can be stored in the form of a “charmbracelet” that includes small RFID tags identifying types of products towhich the bearer is allergic. Some such devices do not include theidentity of the bearer. However, the more specifics regarding thebearer's allergies, preferences, etc., are included, the more easily thebearer can be identified.

In step 470, the contents of the storage unit are evaluated. In thisexample, the products in the storage unit are evaluated in view ofallergy information, if any, provided by the person desiring access. Thecontents of the storage unit can be evaluated according to such allergyinformation, according to the RFID codes of products contained in thestorage unit and according to database information regarding thecomposition of these products.

If it is determined in step 475, for example, that a product containedin the storage unit includes a substance known to cause an allergicreaction to the user, a notification and/or alarm may be produced (step480). In one implementation, products contained in the storage unit thatinclude a substance known to cause an allergic reaction to the user willbe indicated by an audio and/or visual warning, such as that describedabove with reference to user interface 290.

In some implementations, steps 470 and 475 involve determining thatperishable foods, such as meat or dairy products, have been transportedand/or stored at temperatures that are above a safe range for thesefoods. Step 480 may provide an indication that the food should not besold and/or eaten, that the expiration date should be made earlier thannormal for foods intended for resale, etc.

In addition, alerts can be provided regarding possibly dangerouscombinations of substances in the storage unit. For example, certaintypes of cleaning agents (such as ammonia and chlorine) should not beused in combination. Certain substances may cause an explosion or otherunexpected reaction when combined. Similarly, certain types of chemicalscannot be transported in the same truck (e.g., tanks of oxygen andhydrogen).

If no dangerous condition is detected and the user is approved, accessto the storage unit will be permitted (step 485). If some unfavorablecondition has been detected, access may or may not be permitteddepending on the severity of the problem (see dashed arrow).

Step 487 can involve various types of responses to a user's selection ofproducts in the storage unit. In one implementation, a response will beprovided according to a user's allergies. In one such example, an alarmwill sound in step 487 if a user with a peanut allergy removes a productthat contains peanuts.

According to other implementations of the invention, when a user selectsa desired product, the user will be advised in step 487 when there isanother product of the same type that has an earlier expiration date.The date could be a nominal expiration date that is indicated by an RFIDtag or could be a modified expiration date that has, for example, beenmade earlier because of the product's storage history. For example, if atruck is at a warehouse and loading up a supply of milk to transport,some implementations will indicate the milk with the earliest expirationdate.

In step 490, it is determined whether any new articles have been putinto the storage unit. If so, the new products are evaluated as before.If not, the process ends. (Step 495.)

FIG. 5 illustrates system 500, including controller 225 and a “strippeddown” version of RFID reader portion 210. Here, the intelligence forcontrolling RFID reader 210 resides in controller 225. RFID reader 210includes one or more RF radios 505 for transmitting RF waves to, andreceiving modulated RF waves from, RFID tags. RF radios 505 provide rawRF data that is conveyed to controller 225 and converted by ananalog-to-digital converter (not shown).

Interconnect 530 of controller 225 is configured for communication withinterconnect 535 of RFID reader portion 210. In this example,interconnects 540, 545 and 550 provide communication between controller225 and sensor 220, lock 222 and user interface 290, respectively. Thecommunication may be via any convenient medium and format, such aswireless, serial, point-to-point serial, etc. Network interface 525 maybe any convenient type of interface, such as an Ethernet interface, forcommunicating with network 270.

In this example, CPU 510 controls the other devices of SMC 205 accordingto software stored in local memory. CPU 510 is configured to communicatewith other devices across network 270, e.g., to search medical database275 and to make at least a preliminary analysis of the results. CPU 510controls display 292 and speaker 298 of user interface 290 according to,inter alia, such an analysis. CPU 510 receives and processes user inputfrom keypad 294, sensor 295 and microphone 297 of user interface 290.CPU 510 controls lock 222 based in part on this input. CPU 510determines whether door 215 is open or closed according to signals fromsensor 220.

Although only one RFID reader portion 210 is depicted in the smartmedicine cabinet of FIG. 2, some embodiments of the present inventioninclude multiple RFID readers 210. Each controller 225 may control aplurality of RFID readers 210.

Flash memory 520 may be used to store a program (a “bootloader”) forbooting/initializing controller 225. The bootloader, which is usuallystored in a separate, partitioned area of flash memory 520, also allowscontroller 225 to recover from a power loss, etc. As described in theRFID Networking Applications, some implementations of flash memory 520include instructions for controlling CPU 510 to form “DHCPDISCOVER”requests to initiate a provisioning/configuration cycle. In some suchimplementations, flash memory 520 is used to store personalityinformation and other configuration information obtained from, e.g., aDHCP server during such a cycle. However, such information is preferablystored in volatile memory 415 only after being received from, e.g., aDHCP server.

FIG. 6 illustrates a relatively more intelligent RFID reader 210 thatcan be configured to perform methods of the present invention. RFIDreader 210 includes one or more RF radios 605, as described above withreference to FIG. 5. Data from RF radios 605 may be stored, at leasttemporarily, by CPU 610 in memory 615 before being transmitted tocontroller 225 via interface 625. Flash memory 620 may be used to storea bootloader for initializing RFID reader 210.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a network device that may be configuredto implement some methods of the present invention. Network device 760includes a master central processing unit (CPU) 762, interfaces 768, anda bus 767 (e.g., a PCI bus). Generally, interfaces 768 include ports 769appropriate for communication with the appropriate media.

The interfaces 768 are typically provided as interface cards (sometimesreferred to as “line cards”) 770. Generally, line cards 770 control thesending and receiving of data packets over the network and sometimessupport other peripherals used with the network device 760. Among theinterfaces that may be provided are Fibre Channel (“FC”) interfaces,Ethernet interfaces, frame relay interfaces, cable interfaces, DSLinterfaces, token ring interfaces, and the like. In addition, variousvery high-speed interfaces may be provided, such as fast Ethernetinterfaces, Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, ATM interfaces, HSSIinterfaces, POS interfaces, FDDI interfaces, ASI interfaces, DHEIinterfaces and the like.

In some embodiments, one or more of line cards 770 includes at least oneindependent processor 774 and, in some instances, volatile RAM.Independent processors 774 may be, for example ASICs or any otherappropriate processors. According to some such embodiments, theseindependent processors 774 perform at least some of the functions of thelogic described herein. In some embodiments, one or more of interfaces768 control such communications-intensive tasks as media control andmanagement. By providing separate processors for thecommunications-intensive tasks, line cards allow the mastermicroprocessor 762 efficiently to perform other functions such asrouting computations, network diagnostics, security functions, etc.

When acting under the control of appropriate software or firmware, insome implementations of the invention CPU 762 may be responsible forimplementing specific functions associated with the functions of adesired network device. According to some embodiments, CPU 762accomplishes all these functions under the control of software includingan operating system (e.g. Linux, VxWorks, etc.), and any appropriateapplications software.

CPU 762 may include one or more processors 763 such as a processor fromthe Motorola family of microprocessors or the MIPS family ofmicroprocessors. In an alternative embodiment, processor 763 isspecially designed hardware for controlling the operations of networkdevice 760. In a specific embodiment, a memory 761 (such as non-volatileRAM and/or ROM) also forms part of CPU 762. However, there are manydifferent ways in which memory could be coupled to the system. Memoryblock 761 may be used for a variety of purposes such as, for example,caching and/or storing data, programming instructions, etc.

Regardless of network device's configuration, it may employ one or morememories or memory modules (such as, for example, memory block 765)configured to store data, program instructions for the general-purposenetwork operations and/or other information relating to thefunctionality of the techniques described herein. The programinstructions may control the operation of an operating system and/or oneor more applications, for example.

Because such information and program instructions may be employed toimplement the systems/methods described herein, the present inventionrelates to machine-readable media that include program instructions,state information, etc. for performing various operations describedherein. Examples of machine-readable media include, but are not limitedto, magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape;optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical media; and hardwaredevices that are specially configured to store and perform programinstructions, such as read-only memory devices (ROM) and random accessmemory (RAM). The invention may also be embodied in a carrier wavetraveling over an appropriate medium such as airwaves, optical lines,electric lines, etc. Examples of program instructions include bothmachine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containinghigher level code that may be executed by the computer using aninterpreter.

Although the system shown in FIG. 7 illustrates one specific networkdevice of the present invention, it is by no means the only networkdevice architecture on which the present invention can be implemented.For example, an architecture having a single processor that handlescommunications as well as routing computations, etc. is often used.Further, other types of interfaces and media could also be used with thenetwork device. The communication path between interfaces/line cards maybe bus based (as shown in FIG. 7) or switch fabric based (such as across-bar).

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Although illustrative embodiments and applications of this invention areshown and described herein, many variations and modifications arepossible which remain within the concept, scope, and spirit of theinvention, and these variations would become clear to those of ordinaryskill in the art after perusal of this application.

For example, some implementations of the invention provide alerts to auser if a harmful substance or a substance to which a person is allergicwas recently present. For example, if a cat was recently detected in aroom, a person bearing a bracelet or similar device indicating a catallergy would be alerted to the recent presence of the cat.

Moreover, the “smart medical cabinet” implementations of the inventionare not limited to static applications. For example, service-providingrobots are known in the art, such as the house utility “BANRYU™” robotprovided by Sanyo Co., Ltd., the Robotic Information Home Appliance“ApriAlpha™” provided by Toshiba Corporation and the “ER-1 PersonalRobot System” provided by Evolution Robotics, Inc. Some implementationsof the invention combine the services of such a robot and thefunctionality of a mobile smart medicine cabinet. The connectionsbetween the mobile smart medicine cabinet and network 270 may be made,for example, via wireless devices and protocols.

Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limitedto the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope andequivalents of the appended claims.

1. A smart medicine cabinet, comprising: a storage area; a radiofrequency identification (“RFID”) reader configured for reading RFID tagdata for a medical product stored in the storage area; a user interfaceconfigured for communication with a user; a network interface configuredfor communication with a network; a door; a scanner for detecting a userof the smart medicine cabinet; a memory containing user-specific medicalinformation for each of one or more users of the smart medicine cabinet;and a controller configured to retrieve user-specific medicalinformation corresponding to the user detected by the scanner, obtainproduct-specific medical information based on the RFID tag data receivedfrom the RFID reader and to control the smart medicine cabinet accordingto the user-specific medical information and the product-specificmedical information, and wherein the controller is further configuredto, upon detection of the pressing of an emergency open button by theuser, communicate across a network to a third party requestingauthorization to open the smart medicine cabinet.
 2. The smart medicinecabinet of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured toobtain the product-specific medical information by searching a networkedmedical database via the network interface.
 3. The smart medicinecabinet of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured tocontrol the door according to information received via the userinterface.
 4. A method for providing medical services, the methodcomprising: reading radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag data fora medical product in a medicine cabinet; automatically obtainingproduct-specific medical information according to the RFID tag data;evaluating the medical information; identifying a user; automaticallyobtaining user-specific medical information corresponding to the user;comparing the product-specific medical information and the user-specificmedical information; and providing a response according to thecomparison; detecting the pressing of an emergency open button by theuser, and in response to said detection of the pressing of an emergencyopen button by the user, communicating across a network to a third partyrequesting authorization to open the smart medicine cabinet.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the response comprises alerting a userregarding an expiration date of the medicine product in the medicinecabinet.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the response comprisesrequesting replacement medicine.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein theresponse comprises providing a wanting that a combination of medicine inthe medicine cabinet could be dangerous.
 8. The method of claim 4,wherein the step of obtaining medical information comprises searching amedical database.
 9. The method of claim 4, wherein the responsecomprises preventing a user from opening the medicine cabinet.
 10. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the response comprises communicating with auser via a user interface of the medicine cabinet.
 11. The smartmedicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scanner comprises a biometricscanner.
 12. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scannercomprises one of an RFID) scanner or a bar code scanner.
 13. The smartmedicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scanner is configured to readinformation from a card, a bracelet or similar device.
 14. The smartmedicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scanner is configured to readinformation from a card, a bracelet or similar device.
 15. The smartmedicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to prevent an authorized user from opening the door underpredetermined conditions.
 16. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1,further comprising an emergency control that allows a user to open thesmart medicine cabinet without using the input device or the scanner.17. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the user-specificmedical information includes information about the user's allergies. 18.The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the user-specific medicalinformation includes information about the user's medical condition. 19.The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the product-specificmedical information includes dosage frequency.
 20. The smart medicinecabinet of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured totrack the frequency at which the medical product is removed from thesmart medicine cabinet, compare the frequency to the dosage frequency,and control the smart medicine cabinet if the comparison indicates thatthe user is not following the dosage frequency.
 21. The method of claim4, wherein the user-specific medical information includes informationabout the user's allergies.
 22. The method of claim 4, wherein theuser-specific medical information includes information about the user'smedical condition.
 23. The method of claim 4, wherein theproduct-specific medical information includes dosage frequency.
 24. Themethod of claim 19, further comprising: tracking the frequency at whichthe medical product is removed from the smart medicine cabinet;comparing the frequency at which the medical product is removed from thesmart medicine cabinet to the dosage frequency; and controlling thesmart medicine cabinet if the comparison indicates that the user is notfollowing the dosage frequency.
 25. The smart medicine cabinet of claim1, wherein the communicating across a network to a third partyrequesting authorization to open the smart medicine cabinet includescommunicating via a microphone and speaker.
 26. The method of claim 4,wherein the communicating across a network to a third party requestingauthorization to open the smart medicine cabinet includes communicatingvia a microphone and speaker.